Slavery in Dauphin County PA
Harrisburg Riot Caused by Black Citizens Trying to Free Captured Slave
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) April 27, 1825
Harrisburg, April 16, 1825
A riot of a serious nature took place here on Thursday afternoon. A negro man who had absconded from his master, residing in Maryland, about a twelve month ago, was claimed as a runaway slave. He was taken by his master and lodged in jail in this county for security, when a habeas corpus issued, at the instance of the slave, to show cause why he should not be discharged from imprisonment. The cause came on for adjudication on Thursday afternoon before his honor Judge Bucher. Proof of the black man having been a slave under the laws of Maryland and owned by the individual claiming him and of his having absconded a short time before Easter Sunday a year, having been made by a young man who came from Maryland for that purpose in company with the owner, the counsel for the claimant closed his case. On the other side a black man was offered as a witness to prove that the prisoner was residing in York county prior to the time when he was said to have left his master in Maryland and that he (the witness) worked with him under the employ of the same man, a farmer, in York county and knew him well. This evidence was rebutted by the testimony of a brother-in-law of the farmer who happened to be present and who stated that he never saw the prisoner in his employ and that he would in all probability have been aware of the fact, if the runaway had worked for any length of time with his brother-in-law.
Upon this state of the case the Judge ordered the individual claimed to be delivered up in the custody of his master. During the whole time of the trial the Courthouse was crowded with blacks who seemed to take a deep interest in the discussion and the greater part of whom had each subscribed a quarter of a dollar to fee an attorney to attend to the case of their brother black.
The precaution taken to secure the remanded slave from escaping by tying his hands in the presence of so many of his own color, was perhaps what gave the finishing stroke to the excitement of the negroes. They collected in a cluster at the door of the Courthouse and as soon as the object of their sympathy stepped beyond the threshold, accompanied by his master and the young Marylander who had been examined as a witness, an attempt was made to rescue the slave by force. Numbers of blows were given and received. The conflict in a short time became general. The blacks exceeded their opponents in number. Fists, cudgels and brickbats flew about in handsome style for a few minutes and the most serious consequences might have ensued if in the midst of the melee the sudden discharge of a pistol had not produced an electrifying effect upon the combatants. All stopped to see where the mischief had alighted and such was the consternation produced for an instant among the blacks, that one of them, though entirely out of the direction in which the pistol was fired, swore that the bullet had passed just above his ear and displaced some half dozen of the sable curls that reveled on his temple. Advantage was taken of the confusion that prevailed and the slave was hurried into an adjoining tavern. Numbers of persons by this time had collected on the theatre of action. Many of the negroes, however, still kept their ground in front of the tavern and among the rest a mulatto who had been wounded in the arm by the pistol fired. As they would not disperse quietly, but seemed bent on mischief, a number of them were arrested and carried off to gaol. A scampering scene then commenced which lasted for a few hours and ended in the catching of between fifteen and twenty blacks who were safely placed "in durance vile" to answer for their conduct at the ensuing term of Quarter Sessions. - Oracle.
Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) April 27, 1825
Harrisburg, April 23
Sixteen of the colored people mentioned in our last to have been apprehended for having attempted to rescue a slave remanded into the custody of his master by the Court, were put upon their trial on Monday last for having committed a riot. Twelve of the number were convicted by the verdict of the jury and four acquitted. Seven of them were sentenced to an imprisonment of one year in the goal of Dauphin county and five to six months imprisonment. - Oracle.